Iran vows revenge for Khamenei killing “You have crossed our red line and must pay the price,” Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said in a televised address Sunday. “We will deliver such devastating blows that you yourselves will be driven to beg”
Dubai: Iran vowed revenge on Sunday after the killing of its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, confirmed by state officials and US President Donald Trump, traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by a surprise US and Israeli bombardment, and rained missiles on other Gulf nations. The US military said three service members have been killed, the first known American casual ties from the conflict. In Israel, nine people died in the city of Beit Shemesh in an Iranian missile strike. Other Gulf nations began counting their dead from Iranian retaliatory strikes while Israel pledged "non stop" strikes against Iran. Iranian authorities said more than 200 people had been killed since the start of the strikes, including six senior officials apart from Ayatollah Khamenei. Iran formed a new governing council comprising senior cleric Ayatollah Aoreza Arafi, Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian and Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehei, head of the judiciary. A senior US official said that “new potential leadership" in Iran has suggested they are open for talks with the US. Tehran attacked the UAE but said it is attacking US bases located in those countries.
An Oman port and an oil tanker off its coast were attacked Sunday, official media said, marking the first strikes on the sultanate -- which mediated US-Iran talks -- since Tehran launched a retaliation campaign.
Iran's continued Gulf bombardment has raised fears of a wider conflict and rattled a region long seen as a haven of peace and security in the turbulent Middle East.
"A security source reported that the commercial port of Duqm was targeted by two drones," the Oman News Agency said in a social media post.
"One drone struck a mobile workers' accommodation, injuring one foreign worker, while debris from the other landed near fuel tanks, causing no casualties or material damage," it added.
Shortly after, Oman said an oil tanker was targeted off the coast. Its crew was evacuated and four of them were injured, the news agency reported.
What to know so far:
- How we got here: The joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran, which officials say was planned for months, followed unsuccessful negotiations about Iran’s nuclear program and warnings from Trump. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and targeting U.S. military installations in the region.
- Arafi to lead temporarily: Alireza Arafi was appointed on Sunday as the jurist member of Iran’s Leadership Council, a body tasked with fulfilling the supreme leader’s role until the Assembly of Experts elects a new leader, Reuters report said citing ISNA news agency.
- Violence in Pakistan: At least six people have been killed in Karachi after protesters stormed the US Consulate in response to the killing of Khamenei. Local authorities report the situation is currently under “control” but remains volatile.
- Regional retaliation: Iran has launched a massive wave of drone and missile strikes. Explosions have been reported for a second consecutive day in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha.
- Humanitarian toll: The Iranian Red Crescent reports over 201 fatalities nationwide, including a strike on a girls’ school in southern Iran with at least 85 feared dead.
- Airport Disruptions in Gulf: Major flight cancellations reported at Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai airports due to ongoing drone activity and interceptions by Saudi and Jordanian defences.
- Iran’s chief of army staff and defense minister killed in airstrike: Iran’s chief of army staff and defense minister were killed in an airstrike targeting a meeting of the country’s defense council, Iranian state television reported Sunday.
Live Updates
- 1 March 2026 9:12 PM IST
US military says Iranian missiles did not strike aircraft carrier
The U.S. military is pushing back against claims by Iran’s leadership that the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was struck in an attack, stating that the “missiles launched didn’t even come close.”
U.S. Central Command said in a post on X that the American warship continues to launch aircraft. The Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers that the U.S. military has deployed to the region.
Central Command posted its statement shortly after releasing another statement that three U.S. service members have been killed in the U.S. military operation against Iran. — AP
- 1 March 2026 9:08 PM IST
Iranians in Berlin and Vienna celebrate Khamenei’s death
Hundreds of Iranians and others gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin to celebrate the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes.
They held pre-1979 Iranian flags as well as Israeli and American ones, as they danced and sang near the Brandenburg Gate in celebration of the U.S. military action.
Demonstrators included supporters of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
More than 1,000 people also celebrated in Vienna, according to the city police quoted by the Austrian press agency. — AP
- 1 March 2026 8:12 PM IST
Saudi intercepts missile attacks on airport, base: Gulf source
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia on Sunday intercepted Iranian missiles targeting Riyadh's international airport and the Prince Sultan Airbase, which houses US military personnel, a Gulf source briefed on the matter told AFP.
"Air defences successfully intercepted Iranian missiles near Riyadh airport and Prince Sultan Airbase on Sunday afternoon," the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, adding that the interception did not disrupt navigation or cause any human or material losses.
An eyewitness near the airport said they "saw and heard the air defence intercept the missile in the sky". Residents and AFP correspondents earlier reported hearing explosions in eastern Riyadh. — AFP
- 1 March 2026 8:09 PM IST
Iran’s foreign minister pleads for Gulf nations’ understanding
Iran’s foreign minister says he has appealed to his Persian Gulf counterparts for understanding following Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, which he says are only intended to target U.S. military bases and personnel.
Iran has struck several Mideast countries as U.S. and Israeli jets pounded the Islamic Republic, including U.S. bases in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. But the attacks have also hit outside of military installations, including a Dubai hotel and Kuwait’s international airport. Oman, which has mediated in nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington, said Duqm Port was struck by two drones.
“I wish they would understand what is going on in the region it is not our fault,” Abbas Aragchi said in an interview with Qatari news network Al Jazeera. He said that his counterparts were largely “not happy.”
Aragchi also said that Iran’s military units are “somehow isolated, and they are acting based on general instructions given to them in advance.”
“I have talked to our military leaders and commanders to be careful about the targets they choose,” Aragchi said. — AP
- 1 March 2026 8:05 PM IST
Iraqis march to condemn Khamenei’s killing
Hundreds of Iraqis have decried the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and expressed solidarity with the Islamic Republic.
The mourners wore black and waved flags belonging to Iran-backed Iraqi militias, and red flags that symbolize vengeance in the Shiite Muslim faith as they marched across Sadr City. Some held Iranian flags and portraits of Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes.
Iraq has for years tried to balance a delicate relationship with both the U.S. and Iran, and has called for an end to the conflict and a return to dialogue. Iran’s retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases have struck a handful of cities across the Mideast, including the northern Iraqi city of Irbil. — AP
- 1 March 2026 8:01 PM IST
UAE says Iran drone attack caused fire at Abu Dhabi naval base
DUBAI: An Iranian drone attack on an Abu Dhabi naval base caused a fire but no casualties, the defence ministry said Sunday, as Iran attacked the Gulf for a second day after a wave of US and Israeli strikes.
"Specialised teams responded today to an incident resulting from an attack by two Iranian drones on a warehouse at Al Salam Naval Base in Abu Dhabi. The attack caused a fire in two containers of general materials, but there were no casualties," the ministry said. — AFP
- 1 March 2026 7:49 PM IST
Turkey’s Erdogan calls for diplomacy
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that diplomacy remains “the most rational path forward” during a telephone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
According to a statement from the Turkish presidency, Erdogan also extended his well‑wishes to Saudi Arabia following recent attacks on the country and warned that, without decisive action, the conflict could escalate with “serious consequences for both regional and global security.” — AP
- 1 March 2026 7:48 PM IST
Maersk rerouting ships from Suez to Cape of Good Hope
Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping company, said it has paused vessels’ traffic through the Ban el-Mandab Strait and the Suez Canal.
The company said in a statement Sunday it has decided to reroute the ships from the Suez Canal to the Cape of Good Hope.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen had targeted vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea in 2024 and 2025. — AP
- 1 March 2026 7:39 PM IST
Iran’s foreign minister says a new supreme leader will be chosen in ‘one or two days’
Abbas Araghchi was speaking to the Al Jazeera network on Sunday, a day after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S. and Israeli strikes.
